Tech Policy Expertise: Start-ups and scale-ups

  • Flora Coleman

    Flora Coleman is a seasoned global leader in public affairs, policy, and communications, with over a decade of experience shaping regulatory and reputational outcomes for some of the world’s most prominent fintech and technology firms. Most recently Director of Global Policy and Government Relations at Klarna, she led cross-functional teams on both sides of the Atlantic, driving strategy on AI, financial services, credit, and competition policy. Her earlier tenure at Wise saw her deliver a landmark win on cross-border payments regulation in the EU and spearhead the firm’s ESG and CSR agendas.
    Flora is widely recognised for her deep network and policy campaigns. She was recently named one of Europe’s top tech lobbyists by Sifted and has written on regulatory innovation in American Banker, arguing for proportionate frameworks for BNPL. She also addressed global consumer advocates on digital wallet safety at the 2023 Consumers International Summit in Nairobi.
    In addition to her executive roles, Flora serves as an Ambassador for InnovateHer, a Steering Board Member of the Startup Coalition, and an Industry Panel Member for Consumers International. Her portfolio reflects a consistent commitment to responsible innovation and stakeholder collaboration.
    With a track record across the UK, US, EU, and Australia, and a style that blends strategic clarity with delivery excellence, Flora brings valuable experience and perspective at the intersection of regulation, communications, and technology.

  • Ashlie Tarpley

    Ashlie Tarpley is an experienced consumer financial services attorney with over a decade of practice advising financial institutions and government agencies on complex compliance and contracting challenges. Her career spans litigation, regulatory counseling, and policy development, giving her a unique perspective on how laws and regulations impact day-to-day business operations.

    Ashlie’s experience includes:

    – Leading federal regulatory compliance examinations;

    – Counseling clients on privacy, data security, and financial services compliance strategies;

    – Advising on the rollout of innovative products and services;

    – Designing organizational policies and procedures;

    – Overseeing contracting programs and negotiating commercial agreements;

    – Developing and delivering compliance training; and

    – Shaping financial services and housing policy in government.

    In 2025, Ashlie founded Tarpley Templates and Legal Research (TTLR) to make high-quality legal support accessible to organizations navigating growth, innovation, and regulatory risk. TTLR provides attorney-drafted contract templates, practical legal research, and fractional counsel support tailored to tech-driven businesses.

    With her combined litigation, regulatory, and policy experience, Ashlie helps clients anticipate risks, structure stronger contracts, and build compliance frameworks that support sustainable growth. Through TTLR, she is committed to empowering organizations to negotiate smarter, comply with confidence, and achieve lasting success in an evolving financial and regulatory landscape.

  • Rumbidzayi Pfende

    Rumbi Pfende is a seasoned entrepreneur and leader with over 23 years’ experience scaling startups and driving growth across tech and media. She is the Co-founder and COO of MAMA.codes, the UK’s leading coding school for children, where she has helped over 5,000 young people—many from underrepresented groups—gain vital digital skills. A passionate advocate for inclusion, Rumbi has advised organisations including Lucasfilm on diversity and culture, and champions initiatives that widen access to education and technology. She is a thought leader, regularly sharing her journey as a Black female founder committed to building opportunities that empower the next generation.

  • Lu Jackson

    Lu Jackson is the founder of Craic™, the global infrastructure for the comedy industry, and Craic Health, which is pioneering Comedy-on-Prescription® as a social prescribing and prevention scheme. She is also the founder of CRAFT – the Comedy Representation and Artform Trust – an emerging sector body shaping policy, governance and data standards across the entire ecosystem of comedy. A repeat tech founder, Lu previously co-founded VidZone, the world’s first online and mobile-app subscription music streaming service. Her work sits at the intersection of technology, AI, culture and health policy, positioning comedy as both a critical creative industry and a measurable health asset in the AI era.

  • Leah Friedlander

    Leah builds and maintains relationships with the coalition’s broad range of stakeholders, including Ministers, MPs and officials. Leah joined the Startup Coalition in 2021 following the completion of her Master’s of Public Administration from UCL in Digital Technologies and Policy. Leah has a background in US politics having previously worked on the US 2020 presidential election campaign and in the US Senate. Leah currently sits on the advisory board of Capital Enterprise.

  • Kirsten Nelson-de Búrca

    Kirsten Nelson-de Búrca is a product policy manager at Mozilla, where she leads work on ads, age verification, and AI product launches globally – shaping how emerging technologies intersect with public interest and trust. With a background spanning global tech companies, startups, and the non-profit sector, she brings a rare blend of policy insight, operational know-how, and product expertise.

    Before joining Mozilla, she drove global digital policy engagement for a European scale-up, HelloFresh, and at Meta she launched trust & safety product lines and political advertising transparency tools in over 100 markets. She has also advised governments, political organisations, and civil society organisations (UN entities and EU institutions) on leveraging new technologies responsibly, and navigated the fast-moving fintech startup world from a regulatory risk perspective.

    A passionate advocate for responsible innovation, Kirsten speaks about the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of technology, policy, and society – with a focus on AI governance, online integrity (especially when it comes to elections, politics and social issues), and platform accountability.

  • Verity Freeman

    Verity Freeman is an Associate in Global Counsel’s tech, media and telecoms (TMT) team. She works with clients to help shape their policy and engagement strategy across a range of issues including AI, digital competition, digital economy, online safety and public sector digitisation.

    She previously worked for political intelligence company DeHavilland where she focused on culture, media and sport policy.

  • Sophie de Schwarzburg-Gunther

    I am a government relations and business development consultant with a vast and varies experience in a multitude of sectors across the UK, US and Australia currently focused on AI, data centre cooling technology, education, transport, and healthcare.

    My network is significant and I am active in supporting and mentoring those starting in their careers with guidance and introductions.

  • Sian Wilson

    Sian Wilson is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Day One- a global leader in early careers. Sian is a global leader with over 25 years of experience in growth, skills, tech, policy and strategic organisational development in tech and skills-based businesses.

    Sian is a Fellow of the RSA, Chartered Institute of Marketing, Institute of Employability and Chartered Member of CIPD. She is the Chair of Tech UK’s Skills and Inclusivity Council, sits on the EdTech and Education Council at Tech UK, is a member of the Women in Tech Policy Group, member of the London Corporation taskforce for Women pivoting into Tech, member of the North Est Connecting for Impact Group and Non-Executive Director of Society Matters CIC in Gateshead.

  • Shivani Lodhia

    Shivani Lodhia is a cofounder of Parisi Consulting, where she advises clients in the emerging technology and digital infrastructure sectors, providing practical and trusted guidance. She also advocates for policy changes to support firms in these spaces, as well as issues affecting scaleups, using her Substack and an ongoing programme mentoring emerging talent from Warwick University to tackle and evaluate complex, future-facing industry challenges.

    She recently presented her team’s data and analysis on government engagement with digital infrastructure in the House of Lords at a private roundtable, has participated in high-level discussions on the future of the UK’s semiconductor industry, and has been quoted in Politico and City AM.

    Shivani is also studying for an MBA at Warwick Business School, bringing academic rigour to her work while championing a new generation of policy thinking within the technology sector. She is the CIPR’s Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year 2025.